What to pack for Amsterdam in April: tulips and showers

The story

Amsterdam in April, and your hotel is a canal house. The stairs are so steep and narrow they’re nearly a ladder, and you carry your bag up with both hands, glad it’s a soft one and not a big suitcase.

It’s 8 °C in the morning, and the sun is out. By ten, a cloud comes in off the North Sea and a shower blows along the canal, sideways. Around you, umbrellas turn inside out; your rain jacket has a hood, and you keep walking. Ten minutes later the sun is back, and the brick glistens.

Crossing the street is the new skill. The red lanes are for bikes, and the bikes don’t slow down; you learn to look both ways twice. At the Rijksmuseum, your ticket is for a time slot, and so is the one for the Anne Frank House, booked online weeks ago.

The next day, you take the bus to the Keukenhof, the tulip gardens, open only from mid-March to mid-May. The fields around it are striped red, yellow and purple. The paths are flat and long, the wind across the fields is cold, and you’re glad of the extra layer.

You stay for King’s Day, on April 27. The whole city is dressed in orange, the canals are full of boats, and the streets are a party from morning to night. You wear the orange scarf you bought at a market, and flat shoes you don’t mind getting trodden on.

Amsterdam in April is cool, fresh and changeable, with sunny spells, frequent showers and a steady wind. Pack a hooded rain jacket instead of an umbrella, layers for a 10-degree day, and flat shoes for long walks.

What to pack for Amsterdam in April

Pack for sun, wind and showers in the same hour, and a light bag for steep stairs.

Clothes

A hooded rain jacket: umbrellas don’t last in the wind.
A warm sweater or fleece: mornings start around 5 °C.
Long-sleeved tops and a couple of T-shirts for sunny afternoons.
Jeans or trousers that dry quickly.
Something orange, if you’ll be there on King’s Day.

Shoes

Flat, comfortable, water-resistant shoes: you’ll walk a lot, and the streets are often wet.
A second pair, in case the first gets soaked.

For the day

A small backpack or cross-body bag, easier than a tote on crowded trams.
A soft bag or backpack instead of a big suitcase, for canal-house stairs.
A refillable water bottle: tap water is safe.

Documents, money and tech

Passport, or a national ID card if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
A bank card for everything: many places take cards only.
Your timed tickets for the museums and the Keukenhof, on your phone.
A plug adapter if you come from outside continental Europe: sockets are types C and F, at 230 V.

Good to know

Weather: April runs from about 4 to 14 °C (39 to 57 °F), with showers on many days and a steady wind.
Tulips: the Keukenhof gardens open from about mid-March to mid-May, and the bulb fields bloom from early April; both depend on the spring. Book the Keukenhof ahead.
King’s Day: April 27 (April 26 when the 27th is a Sunday). The city is packed; book your stay early, and expect trams to change their routes.
Museums: the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House sell timed tickets online; the Anne Frank House sells only online, and it sells out.
Getting around: walk on the sidewalks, never in the red bike lanes, and look both ways before crossing them.
Money: euro (EUR). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and some places take no cash at all.
Plugs: types C and F, 230 V.
Entry: the Netherlands is in the Schengen area. If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, check whether you need a visa or a travel authorization before you go, and expect the EU’s biometric border check on your first entry.